A 1^st Cavalry Division AH-64D Longbow Apache pilot was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at the Fort Hood Catering and Conference Center a year later on January 28, 2008 after facing an unknown enemy force and risking his own life to save his two friends.

 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary Johnson, pilot in charge and unit commander from 4^th Battalion, 227^th Aviation Regiment, was commended for his role in the battle as he worked with Iraqi army troops, U.S. special operation forces and U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controllers, determining the location of friendly and enemy forces while protecting the site of the crash that took the lives of his friends, Capt. Mark Resh and Chief Warrant Officer Cornell Chao. Division Commander Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil Jr. said, “The odds were against us,” noting the enemy had around 600 soldiers in well-fortified, dug-in positions.  A fierce ground battle was underway and the Iraqi and US Soldiers on the ground needed air support and that role was tasked to Johnson and his crew. 

In eight minutes, Johnson led his team from Forward Operating Base Kalsu to the battlefield.  He said,

“Those were the longest eight minutes of my life.”  “There was sadness because I just lost some of my friends.  I was worried about my friends who were still there.  I was scared.”

Johnson led an hour of organized attacks before completely running out of ammunition.  His team flew back to FOB Kalsu, re-armed and went back again into the fight. 

Fil, after watching Johnson’s performance on screen at Johnson’s award ceremony, he said,

“He had nerves of steel.”  “He was calm, reasonable and making sound decisions.”

Though, Johnson stated that he wasn’t calm at all.  “I thought my voice was shaking, and I was thinking about a million things at once.”  He denotes “But like the movie ‘Black Hawk Down’, when the bullets are flying, you just do your job.  I tried to stay level headed and cool under the pressure.” The enemy had dug trenches that were 12 to 15 feet deep in a zigzag pattern, preventing air support from firing in a straight line all the way through.  Fil said the insurgents were well-equipped and organized with supplies and medical stations, but the enemy was virtually destroyed, thanks to the skills and professionalism of Johnson and his team.  “I have never been associated with anyone more deserving of the Distinguished Flying Cross than Chief Warrant Officer 3 Johnson,” he said.